Chapter 1558:

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“But don’t push me, either,” Novalee went on. “You don’t want to break up, and you need time. Fine. Take all the time you need. But I’m done being the one trying to hold this together. If you want to call me, call me. If you don’t, then don’t. I’m not chasing you anymore, and you don’t have to keep feeling like I’m making your life harder.”

By then, employees were streaming into the building, and the morning rush swallowed whatever chance they had of saying anything more. Left with nothing to argue against, Barry could only watch her for a long moment before turning away.

From that day on, Novalee grew completely cold.

She stopped being the first to text. Stopped asking whether he’d eaten or how his day had gone. Stopped lying awake at night worrying over his parents’ latest schemes.

If Barry called, she answered. If he texted, she replied. But little by little, her messages became shorter, flatter, stripped of the warmth they used to carry.

Barry noticed the change. Whether it was guilt, regret, or the last lingering traces of the feelings they’d once shared, he started putting in more effort than he ever had before. He asked her out more often, surprised her with flowers and little gifts, and did everything he could think of to piece their relationship back together.

Dо𝘄𝗇lo𝗮𝘥𝘢𝘣𝘭𝗲 р𝗗𝘍ѕ 𝗼𝗇 𝘨𝗮𝗅𝗇o𝘃e𝗹𝘀.𝖼om

Novalee never turned him down, but she never met him halfway, either. The enthusiasm was gone. Deep down, she knew she was only waiting for the moment she could finally let go.

That moment arrived sooner than she’d expected.

About three weeks later, Barry asked her out to dinner at a quiet restaurant.

They had barely settled into their seats when his phone started vibrating nonstop. Novalee calmly picked at her food, though from the corner of her eye, she caught the smile tugging at his lips the instant he looked at the screen. His fingers moved quickly across the screen, replying almost without thinking.

“Who’s that?” she asked in a light, almost absent-minded tone.

“Oh, just someone from work. A project contact.” Barry turned his phone face down on the table, but he hadn’t locked the screen first. In that brief flash before it went dark, Novalee caught the profile picture at the top of the chat.

She recognized the face immediately. It was the beautiful woman his parents had introduced him to.

Without a word, she lowered her eyes and continued eating. Barry reached for another bite, but his phone buzzed again. He set his fork down almost instinctively, picked up the phone, and fired off another reply. The smile lingering on his face never quite disappeared.

“Your project contact’s texting you this late?” Novalee asked.

Barry’s hand froze for the slightest moment before he recovered, slipping on an easy smile as though nothing had happened. “Yeah. This project’s on a really tight deadline, so they’re pretty invested. Plus, we’d met before, so it’s easier to communicate directly.”

“Oh.” Novalee casually speared a piece of cabbage with her fork. “So how long have you been working together?”

“We only finalized the deal last week. It was kind of a surprise, to be honest. The deadline’s tight, so there’s a lot to coordinate.” The lie flowed as smoothly as if he’d rehearsed it, and he even tacked on one last reassurance. “But don’t worry. It’s strictly professional.”

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